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Jennifer of Gainesville, VA May 11, 2009
Our new townhouse was delivered on 12/31/2003. The builder rushed contruction to get the house delivered by the end of the year. Since then we have had many problems. The most recent problem is a main water line either somewhere under our house or our front yard is leaking. The water service authority notified us that we were going through 10 gallons a minute and nothing was running in the house. The water service tech said this is not normal at all for a house so young and he has never seen this before in his 20+ years with the company. The water is going through metal pipes that should not leak after so little time. He said the builder or builder's plumber must have installed a connector incorrectly. We've contacted Breeden plumbing, the company who did the work, and they say it is not there problem as the warranty was only for 2 years. We've contacted Richmond American and they will not return our calls.
Beyond this problem we have had problems with our air conditioning and the drain in our shower was installed improperly which caused water to pour through the ceiling into our kitchen. Both repairs we have had to pay for on our own even though technicians told us the installs were done incorrectly. Andrea of Parker, CO May 7, 2009
In 2005 my husband and I built our 2nd Richmond American Home in Parker, Colorado. Within the first 2 years interior cracks formed around windows, doors, ceilings, etc… all throughout the home some of which were 2-3 feet long. After contacting the warranty department we were given a very similar plan to the previous poster on this site. They took out 3 very large windows to shave them down and shim them back in place due to warping. A drywall repair contractor patched and re-textured the cracks throughout the home. Then Richmond wanted us to wait a considerable amount of time before re-inspecting the home’s foundation. Time went by and new/old cracks appeared. A couple walls are literally pulling apart, carpet is separating from one wall and you can see light coming through in the basement under that same spot. One of the I-beams in our basement in our “major problem area†bows out to one side. The basement and garage slab/foundation has cracks and gaps in it to the point you can see the dirt below the house. The exterior siding of the house is warped in some areas, pulling away from corners and one piece cracked in half under one of the windows. We have concrete roof tiles that appear to be buckling. There are cracks around the brick that surrounds the garage along with concrete cracks and gaps that again allow you to see dirt under the slab. It now appears that our wood floors may be moving with little gaps popping up here and there.
1 year ago this month (May 2008) Richmond sent the warranty rep, customer service rep, engineers, and an insurance rep to our home and walked the home for a couple hours. Twice they drilled for soil tests around the home and also took measurements of the movement. At least twice we requested copies of the engineering reports and were told by the warranty rep that they would get us copies. The last time we asked we were told that they owned the reports and would not give us a copy. They also told us they wanted to fix the home and they proposed tearing out a portion of the basement, jacking up the home and then installing helical piers in one corner to support the home. All the while they proposed we would live inside the home, they would place a lock on the hollow door leading from the main level to the basement and for however many months have to put up with noise, construction and the inability for our dog to use the backyard or basement as he currently does. Once they did the foundation work they would want us to wait several months to see how the foundation would settle prior to fixing anything cosmetic inside the home. We told the warranty rep that we wanted them to buy back our home to which he was doubtful of that outcome.
At this point we had become aware that our home was not an isolated foundation issue within our neighborhood. One home in our neighborhood had such severe problems that they hired an attorney and after some time were able to get a salvage company along with Richmond to split the cost of the home and buy it back from the homeowner. We were concerned that Richmond was trying to hide something from us by not giving us copies of the engineering reports so we hired the same attorney and all personal contact ceased with Richmond. We also had our own engineer come out to the house and on the same day miraculously received copies from Richmond of their engineering reports. Upon our engineers inspection of the Richmond reports, our home was built on top of approximately 20-30 feet of fill soil and we have had approximately 3-4†of movement and settling from the west to east corners of the home. We’ve been told that if a house has foundation problems ideally you want to under pin the entire home. Richmond only proposed underpinning one corner. Our engineer recommended fixing a broader section to which Richmond then added a section that was never discussed in their original reports or our engineer’s reports.
This weekend we talked to another couple in our neighborhood that had similar problems and dealt entirely with RWC (Richmond’s Warranty Company). They mostly bypassed Richmond and ended up getting a check for over 200,000 to fix their foundation by selecting their own contractors. Two homes over from them their neighbors also had foundation problems within their first year or two in their new home. We suspect that many other homes in this neighborhood have had or are having foundation problems. We are now asking that the entire home be underpinned since we are seeing cracks everywhere inside and out along with fixing all the other smaller problems that have come up as a result of the movement. We were told by a former Richmond employee (who has family that built within our neighborhood) that they counted on 1 in 4 homes in our neighborhood having foundation problems. Needless to say it is now my mission to spread the word about this builder.
Christopher of Fredericksburg, VA March 5, 2009
I purchased a new Richmond American Home in June 2007. Richmond American failed to inform me that a home in the neighborhood was being used as a substance abuse rehabilitation facility, in violation of city ordinance. They claimed the residents were protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act, and therefor would not refund my deposit. I later found that this claim was false.
On closing day, I discovered an insect infestation in the home. This took several visits by a pest control specialist to mitigate. The first rain revealed a window leak and a roof leak. The first snow of any consequence (after warranty period) caused all 3 dormers to leak. Cracked tile, brought to RA's attention during the warranty period but never repaired, led to a bathroom leak that damaged my kitchen ceiling. Richmond American has done nothing since the original window and roof leak.
Jeremy of Dacono, CO August 29, 2008
We purchased a brand new Richmond American Home in Oct. 2006. We first noticed damage in Dec. 2006 and contacted our warranty representative with Richmond. Since Dec. 2006, our home has continued to fall apart around us. In the mean time, Richmond has strung us along with minimum help. They have sent out structural engineers which have done elevation surveys, soil engineers which have taken months of soil tests.
Many of the windows in the home do not open; they have had to reset the front door twice just so we can use it. The stair rail has completely come off the wall and is no longer safe for my family. Richmond has sent out contractors three times to patch the rail with nails and glue. Both of which have not worked as the dowels are continuing to pull apart from the rail itself. There is not a door or window in the home without massive cracks, some of which are over a 1/4 in wide. We can see the frame work behind them. In the last few months, we have been awoken 4-5 nights a week by very, very loud booms in the walls and floors. So loud that my 3 year old and 5 year old sons are waking up crying scared of the loud noises, asking me if our house is going to fall down on their rooms. All of this information has been given to Richmond and they insist that they need to find out what is causing the house to shift before they worry about fixing anything. They have had 19 months since our first contact to them that there were problems with the home.
They just contacted me on July 7, 2008 and said that they want to do a few more months of soil testing, that all the other testing was not conclusive enough. 19 months and they still have no idea why the house is falling apart. I have asked that they purchase the home back from me for what I paid for it, the money I have put into the home and moving and closing cost for a new property. They have refused, stating that it take time for them to figure out what the problem with the current property is.
19 months my family has been dealing with this nightmare. Any other product you buy in this country that is a defect, you get your money back, much less the most important purchase of your life. My wife and I worked very hard for many years to prepare to purchase our first home and within three months of moving in the house began falling apart. Every contractor, repair man, neighbor, friend that has seen our house has said that they have never seen a home with as many problems as ours.
I have given Richmond 19 months to correct the problem or to come to an agreement on the property, and they have nothing. The law in Colorado states that I have 2 years to file suit from the first time I contacted Richmond. They have almost pushed it that far. This whole ordeal has been a nightmare for my family and Richmond could care less that my family is suffering and that they sold me a lemon home. That to me is unacceptable and is why I am filling this complaint.
The home is worth 0.00.
Veemac of Scottsdale, AZ July 18, 2008
My company was hired by richmond american homes to build several new home constuctions, we built appox. 150 new homes for richmond homes. We recieved progress payments as we went along, until every thing STOPPED! we were told to stop working and DO NOT frame another home. We did, and were told final payment would be soon coming, 19 months later, and many courts procedings later, Veemac is still waiting for 1.3 Million Dollars final payment. I have all of my pre liens in place, and richmond american has bonded arounded the liens. 18 other sub contractors have filed for bankrupcy since this began. Veemac has NOT. HELP, PLEASE.
My company has paid all of there suppliers, and all of it's labor force, and has stopped working.I have had 1 heart attack, 3 bleeding ulcers(BLEEDING) and have spent many months in the hospital, and still have not recieved 1 dollar. every month like clock work i recieve something new from the courts, asking for more time, and paper work. I no longer have legal representation, because i can't afford any thing or a new lawyer at the moment. I still have an open civil case open with the courts. i've sued for 1.3 million and 10 million for damages.
Jeff of Em, UT July 16, 2008
They came to fix the AC several times. They cant get it to work properly so I get ignored. I'm thinking litigation or just take it and buy a new system. I'm a disabled vet so money is tight but what can you do.
AC does not work. I'll be buying one shortly I guess, somehow or just continue to wear wet clothes around the house, kinda like my unit did in Iraq. God bless america.
Daryl of Ashburn, VA May 8, 2008
I bought my home in Ashburn, Virginia in the Ashbrook community in May of 2005. I recently had a problem with my home that was not discovered during the warrenty period. My guest bathroom which my wife and I use very infrequently leaked through the ceiling below it into the dinning room. I had a plumber come to my home and repair the damage. When the plumber removed the toilet he informed me that the leak was because the toilet was installed improperly. The toilet was completely missing a seal that was supposed to be there (the wax seal) and another cone shaped seal was put in upside down causing water to run around the seal and not into the drainage pipe.
I contacted Richmond American Homes customer service and was told I needed to speak with David Dovian who is the head of customer service. I left several messages for him to no avail. I finally got in contact with the president of Richmond American Homes and he had Mr. Dovian call me that same day. Mr Dovian asked if I could fax him the invoice after the work was completed so he could review it and speak with the contractor. I faxed Mr. Dovian the invoice after the work was completed liked he had asked. I got no call back after it was faxed. I had to call him back the next day since I received no phone call from him. Mr. Dovian then informed me that my warranty period was up (this I already knew) and they would not pay for the repair. He did not call the contractor like he told me he would. He had absolutely no concern that the toilet was installed improperly and stated that since I did not catch their mistake during the period that Richmond American Homes is not responsible for the damage they caused.
I then called the president of Richmond American to see what his stance was on the issue. He informed me that had I given them a chance to do the repair they would of taken care of it. I then told him that I did give them plenty of time to come out to my home and review the damage and faulty installation. It took 5 days to finally get a call back. Then there was 3 days after talking to Mr. Dovian before the work was done. How long does Richmond American Homes think I should have sewege leaking in my home.
The president of Richmond American Homes had no comment about that and stated that they would do nothing about their faulty workmanship. Anyone who is considering buying from Richmond American Homes should think of buying from a different builder as I would never buy a home from them again. Not to mention all the problems I had when I first moved I would list them all, but it would become a novel.
The repair cost was 500.
Richard of Castle Rock, CO November 29, 2007
Below is a letter that I sent to numerous people at Richmond that explains the situation.
My wife and I recently closed on a Richmond Home on July 31, 2007. I would like to start by saying thanks for the great job that was done on our home. My wife and I have been treated with the utmost respect and high quality of service. We have been pleased with the majority of the contents of our home. Unfortunately, we have been experiencing some extreme problems with our floor. The first problem was actually documented on the walk-through prior to closing back in July. Since then, the floor has continued to wear at an abnormal rate. When we selected the floor at the Richmond Design Center, we asked that we only be shown floor samples that can withstand dog traffic. We reiterated to the design consultant that we have a puppy and we want to make sure the floor will hold up. We were reassured time and time again that this floor was a great product that they have had a lot of success with in homes that have dogs. Seeing as how this is our first home and we have no reason not to believe the design consultant, we followed her advice. My wife and I are not flooring professionals. Neither was the design consultant. However, the design consultant does act as an advisor to those who dont have experience in this industry. As our records show, the total cost of our floor was 8,293.00. That is a lot of money to pay for a floor that only has a life of 3 months.
We are not disputing what caused the damage to the floor. It is very clear to anyone that sees the floor what caused the scratches. When the representative from Guys flooring saw the floor he was surprised we were sold that product, especially since we made it very clear that we had a dog. He also stated, had he been asked what product to recommend while having a dog, he would have recommended a sealed tile. While we are not flooring professionals, we are not ignorant. Had we been told in the beginning that a pre-finished hardwood floor is not recommended for use in a home with a dog, we would have chosen a different product. According to the flooring professional? the price of tile and the price of pre-finished hardwood are comparable. Just like any homeowner we want the value of our home to appreciate in value. This floor will do nothing but decrease that value.
I live by my word of honor every day. I sell a service to people that have no knowledge about what I am selling. It is up to me to educate my clients as to what to expect out of that service. If I make a promise to a client, in writing or verbal, I am expected to live up to that promise. If I dont, my reputation will be jeopardized and they will take their business elsewhere. What I am asking is that Richmond American Homes honor the promise that was given by a representative of your company and provide my wife and me with a product that provides the durability that we asked for. Anne of Murrieta, CA November 14, 2007
Six years ago, the A/C and heater were not installed properly. As a result condensation from the A/C unit is leaking into walls and ceiling. The A/C coil is rusted due to the primary drain being disconnected by the installer. Gas to heater has been recently upon inspection disconnected due to fire hazard.
The cost of a new a/c unit is 1200 plus the repair cost of the heating unit. I have damage to walls, etc that insurance should pay minus my 1000 deductible.
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